Blog relating to the American Presidency, specific American Presidents, and First Ladies. Posts by online college instructor Jennie Weber with additional posts by site founder Dr. Michael Lorenzen and Elementaryhistoryteacher.

Monday, September 06, 2004

Lyndon Johnson (LBJ)

Lyndon Baines Johnson ( August 27 , 1908 – January 22 , 1973), often referred to as LBJ , was the thirty-sixth ( 1961 - 1963 ) Vice President and the thirty-seventh ( 1963 - 1969 ) President of the United States , succeeding to the office after the assassination of John F. Kennedy .

Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in Stonewall, Texas , on August 27 , 1908 . His parents owned a farm in a poor area and they could not provide their son with many advantages. He attended public schools throughout his childhood and graduated from Johnson City High School in 1924 .

In 1927 Johnson enrolled in Southwest Texas State Teachers College . Even though he participated in debate and campus politics , edited the school newspaper , and spent a year away from his studies teaching school, Johnson somehow managed to graduate in only 312 days.

Soon after he graduated from college, Johnson taught public speaking and debate in a Houston high school . However, he soon quit his job teaching and went into the field of politics. Johnson's father had served five terms in the Texas legislature and was a close friend to one of Texas's rising political figures, Congressman Sam Rayburn . In 1931 Lyndon campaigned for Richard M. Kleberg and was later rewarded for his work in the campaign with an appointment to be the newly elected congressman's secretary.